Boat ventilator

ABSTRACT

A boat ventilator having a forwardly-facing head member at its upper end for receiving air, and mounting means at its lower end for attachment to a boat deck. Baffles in the ventilator permit free flow of air into the boat but trap water for drainage to the exterior via drain holes. A combined baffle and waterstop of a readily deformable but form-retaining material is disposed in the ventilator for automatically blocking water flow through the ventilator when a heavy charge of water enters the ventilator.

A United States Patent Beck [4 June 26, 1973 BOAT VENTILATOR [76] Inventor: David Walter Beck, 2257 Gaylord, f 'i g"" Long Beach, Calm 90813 Assistant Exammereter erguson Attorney-Francs A. Utecht [22] Filed: Apr. 14, 1972 [21] App]. No.: 243,988 57 ABSTRACT A boat ventilator having a forwardly-facing head mem- U-Se 1, her at its upper end for receiving air and mounting 137/517, 137/.5253 means at its lower end for attachment to a boat deck. 1 Baffles in the ventilator permit free flow of air into the Fleld of Search boat but trap water for drainage to the exterigr via 137/525 lli/zll drain holes. A combined baffle and waterstop of a readily deformable but form-retaining material is dis- Relerences Cited posed in the ventilator for automatically blocking water UNITED STATES PATENTS flow through the ventilator when a heavy charge of 2,296,350 9 1942 Johnson 98/64 Water enters the vemilator- I 2,512,694 6/1950 Stout et al. 137/517 X 3,366,028 1/1968 Beck 98/64 x 1 Claim 4 Drawing Figures BOAT VENTILATOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to boating and more particularly to an improved self-contained, water-deflecting ventilator to be mounted upon a boat deck. a

2. Description of the Prior Art Applicant is patentee of U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,028 issued Jan. 30, 1968. U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,028 is directed to a self-contained, water-deflecting ventilator to be mounted upon a boat deck. During normal weather conditions the ventilator disclosed in said patent will permit air to flow through the ventilator into the boat, but any spray entering the ventilator will be trapped within the ventilator by baffles, with such water being discharged through drain holes formed in the ventilator. It has been determined, however, that when a particularly heavy charge of water enters the ventilator of U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,028 the drain holes cannot always discharge such water adequately.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major object of the present invention to provide a baffled boat ventilator of the type disclosed in the aforesaid U.S.- Pat. No. 3,366,028 provided with means for automatically temporarily stopping flow of water through the ventilator when a heavy charge of water enters such ventilator. This object is obtained by providing the ventilator of the present invention with a combined baffle and waterstop'member of a readily deformable, but form-retaining material. This material will be deformed so as to define a water seal when a heavy charge of water enters the ventilator, such deflection being provided by the pressure of the heavy charge of water.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a boat ventilator of the aforedescribed nature which is economical of manufacture.

- Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a boat ventilator of the aforedescribed nature which is simple of design and rugged of construction whereby it may afford a long and trouble-free service life.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of boat ventilator embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of said boat ventilator mounted upon a boat deck;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken in enlarged scale along line 33 of F IG, 2s'howing the parts of said ventilator disposed in normaloperative position; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing how water flow is blocked through said ventilator when a heavy charge of water enters the ventilator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of ventilator V embodying the present invention is adapted to be mounted upon a boat'deck 10. The ventilator V includes a scoop member, generally designated 12, of integral construction. The lower part of scoop 12 includes an upright, generally cylindrical neck 16, that is swivably telescopically received by a deck fitting l8 which is mounted within a bore 20 formed in boat deck 10. Theupper part of neck 16 smoothly merges into a forwardly-facing head 22. The head 22 is larger than the neck 16 and its front end and is formed with a forwardly-facing opening 24. The lower front and sides of head 22 extend inwardly and downwardly to merge into the upper end of neck 16 at point 26, while the rear portion of head 22 extends upwardly and then forwardly.

Disposed within head 22 is a combined baffle and waterstop member, generally designated 30. The combined baffle and waterstop member 30 includes an upper bafile element 32 that normally extends upwardly and rearwardly in a curve to a point intermediate the interior of the head, as indicated particularly in FIG. 3. The combined baffle and waterstop 30 also includes a lower baffle element 34 that extends upwardly and forwardly from the rear lower edge of head 22 to a point forwardly of the rear edge of the upper baffle element 32. An upstanding seal lip 36 is formed on the upper edge of lower baffle element 34. The combined battle and waterstop member 30 is formed of a readily deformable but form-retaining synthetic plastic material. The open cross-sectional area betweenthe rear edge of the upper baffle element 32 and the top edge of the lip 36 defines anair opening 38 Preferably, the open cross-sectional area of this air opening 38 will be approximately equal to the open horizontal crosssection area 39 of the neck 18. The lower portion of the combined baffle and waterstop member 30 defines a collar 40 which is telescopically affixed within the lower portion of the head 22. The lower rear portion of the head 22 is formed with one or more drain holes 42 immediately above the rear edge of the lower baffle e]- ement 34.

In the use of the aforedescribed ventilator V, the upper'and lower baffle elements 30 and 34 will normally permit air to flow freely through the scoop member 12, since the air opening 38 is approximately equal to the open horizontal cross-section area 39 of the neck 18. Should any water spray enter head opening 24, the overlapping arrangement of the upper edge of upper baffle element 30 with respect to the upper edge of lip 36 of lower baffle element 34 will prevent such water spray from entering the neck 18. Instead, such water will drop off the upper end of upper baffle element 30 and flow downwardly onto the upper surface of the baffle element 34, such water then flowing out of the drain holes 42.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the combined baffle and waterstop member 30 is so designed that should a heavy charge of water 48 enter scoop opening 24, the pressure of such water will flex theupper baflle element 34 rearwardly and downwardly so that the rear surface of the upper baffle element 32 will sealingly engage the front surface of lip 36, as indicated by reference numeral 50. In this manner the heavy charge of water will be prevented from filling up the space within the head 22 above lower baffle element 34, as would be the case if upper baffle element 32 were formed of a rigid material. When the heavy charge of water 48 drains from the interior of head 22, the upper baffle element 32 will spring again to its normal position of FIG. 3.

Preferably, all parts of the aforedescribed ventilator V will be formed of suitable synthetic plastic materials- I plastic, should a line or the like contact such scoop, the

line willreadily temporarily deform the scoop thereby avoiding damage thereto. Additionally, if a crew member should inadvertently contact the scoop 22, the latter would be able to deform thereby preventing injury to such crew member.

Various modifications and changes may be made with respect to the foregoing detailed description without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

1 claim:

1. A self-contained, water-deflecting ventilator for mounting on a boat deck, comprising:

a scoop member having an upstanding tubular neck, the upper part of which smoothly merges into a head larger than said neck, the front end of said head being formed with a forwardly-facing openmg; I

a combined baffle and waterstop member disposed within said head, said member having an upper baffle element that normally extends upwardly-and rearwardly of said opening to a point intermediate the interior of said head, said baffle and waterstop member also having a single lower baffle element disposed within said head below said upper baffle element and extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear lower edge of said head and the upper part of said neck to a point forwardly of the rear edge of said upper baffle element with an upstanding seal lip being formed on the upper edge of said lower baffle element, and with the open crosssectional area between the rear edge of said upper baffle element and the upper edge of said lip being approximately equal to the open horiiontal crosssectional area of said neck; drain hole means formed in said head immediately above the lower end of said lower baffle element and to the rear of said lower baflle element; mounting means on the lower end of said neck for attaching said ventilator to said deck; and said combined baffle and waterstop member being formed of .a readily deformable but form-retaining material whereby the introduction of a heavy charge of water through the forwardly-facing opening of said scoop member will cause said upper baffle element to be temporarily deformed by said water rearwardly and downwardly so that the rear surface of said upper baffle element sealingly engages the front surface of said lip, and with said upper baffle element returning to its normal position when said charge of water has drained from said scoop member.

* I i i 

1. A self-contained, water-deflecting ventilator for mounting on a boat deck, comprising: a scoop member having an upstanding tubular neck, the upper part of which smoothly merges into a head larger than said neck, the front end of said head being formed with a forwardly-facing opening; a combined baffle and waterstop member disposed within said head, said member having an upper baffle element that normally extends upwardly and rearwardly of said opening to a point intermediate the interior of said head, said baffle and waterstop member also having a single lower baffle element disposed within said head below said upper baffle element and extending upwardly and forwardly from the rear lower edge of said head and the upper part of said neck to a point forwardly of the rear edge of said upper baffle element with an upstanding seal lip being formed on the upper edge of said lower baffle element, and with the open cross-sectional area between the rear edge of said upper baffle element and the upper edge of said lip being approximately equal to the open horizontal cross-sectional area of said neck; drain hole means formed in said head immediately above the lower end of said lower baffle element and to the rear of said lower baffle element; mounting means on the lower end of said neck for attaching said ventilator to said deck; and said combined baffle and waterstop member being formed of a readily deformable but form-retaining material whereby the introduction of a heavy charge of water through the forwardlyfacing opening of said scoop member will cause said upper baffle element to be temporarily deformed by said water rearwardly and downwardly so that the rear surface of said upper baffle element sealingly engages the front surface of said lip, and with said upper baffle element returning to its normal position when said charge of water has drained from said scoop member. 